We have a good time dancing, and when we go to a Folk Festival we dance for
nothing.

Collecting money has, however, always been part of the Morris tradition (see
MORRIS), and it is nice to think that we can do
something useful and benefit the local community as well as enjoying ourselves
so all the money we collect is donated to local charities.

Rickmansworth
Canal Festival 2009

WHY DO YOU DANCE WITH STICKS?

In reality, no idea! It is possible that sticks and scarves replaced swords, but
this is only conjecture.

Sticks or staves were more readily available than swords would have been, so it
seems that this theory could hold water, but it must be stressed that it is only
a theory.

It has as much validity as the idea that the banging of sticks and jangling of
bells would ward away evil spirits, which is another popular theory.

WHY DO YOU DANCE WITH HANKIES?

Again, no real answer, but we do dance a very old dance where the hankies are
tied together, so, following the same principle as for ‘sticks’, it is just
possible that swords were replaced by scarves (safer and much less expensive)
and then one day a dancer forgot his scarf and tied his hankies together.